Through the Window by Ziffler
This song was written years ago and it remains one of my favorites. I have tried at times to adapt this to be played live but it has always fallen short of the demo version. My blog posts to date have started with the music, then moved to the lyrics. But today, the lyrics come first.
Through the Window
Some may say
I am far away
Dark cloud today
Red turned to gray
Saw the world begin to move
And I want to fade away
Fade away
On the other side of the window
There was too much pain
So I closed my eyes in shame
Never looking
Any sign of bitter weather
On a blissful day
Makes me look the other way
All along the way home
I’ll wait until I am numb
I’ll wait until I am home
--I've been thinking about posting this song for quite awhile, but the recent tragic shootings in Aurora have made this song very relevant. How does one cope with such news, especially so close to home? How can one even process this information? This song wasn't written with any specific event in mind, but more about the general way in which I respond and cope with other people's pain and suffering. For better or worse, I take a position of detachment. I generally choose not to watch the news. I choose not to really place myself in the shoes of those who are suffering. I'm not proud of this response, but it is the coping mechanism that has arisen that works for me. I'm not suggesting that this is always the case with me, but that's what this song is about.
And writing music for me is a sort of therapy, especially with a song like this. Writing lyrics can help me recognize my own inner struggles. Looking "through the window" is how I feel sometimes when I'm faced with such pain or struggles. It feels as though I'm on one side, the safe side, and the suffering is on the other side. Of course, there are no answers here. I've revealed no alternate methods of dealing with pain. But simply the process of writing provides a sort of relief.
As for the music, there is just one thing I want to point out, and that is the synthesized choir-like vocals that can be heard throughout the song. For this, I sampled my own voice, recording several notes of "ah"s. Each "ah" is looped seamlessly so that when triggered by a keyboard, the notes sustain indefinitely. This results in sort of a surreal vocal part, especially when playing notes which are outside of my natural range. Adding to the unnatural quality of this vocal is a fast vibrato which is tied to the tempo of the song. This provided a wonderfully appropriate tension throughout the song which reflects the inner struggle of the lyrics.
If this effect sounds familiar, it's probably because I used the same keyboard patch in my song Simply which was posted in April. While I haven't used it since, I have re-created this patch with my current software and will likely use it again in future songs.
If this post has left you feeling down, I apologize. Perhaps revisiting another song will lift your spirits.
Uncle Ziffler
